Introduction created the first farmers’ co-op, the first credit union, and the first homeless shelter in Canada. elcome to The Archaeology of Five Queensville The temple was constructed by master builder Ebenezer WFarmsteads – a 19th Century Crossroads Community Doan, who was assisted by other highly skilled craftsmen in the Township of East Gwillimbury, Ontario. including Rueben Burr, a joiner who was responsible for the The Children of Peace were a break-away sect of Quakers timber framework of the temple. who settled in Sharon, Ontario. “With a goal of establishing David Willson lived in Sharon and the temple was built a utopian, non-sectarian community, the Children of Peace on his property. Ebenezer Doan lived on Concession 3 just devoted themselves to self-sufficiency, fair-dealing and north of Sharon. Rueben Burr lived on Lot 17, Concession democratic equality.” (Canada’s Historic Places, 2007). The 2, on the southern edge of Queensville. Burr purchased the sect was led by the charismatic David Willson who built the southern half of Lot 18 in 1825 and sold it to Ebenezer Sharon Temple between 1825 and 1832. The temple is a Doan in 1832, who sold it to his son, Ira, in 1834. While unique architectural structure in Canada and is now a National the temple was located in Sharon, there were other ties Historic Site which is open to public visitation and operated to Queensville. Lot 16 was originally settled by William by the Friends of the Temple. Willson, a cousin of David Willson, the leader of the The temple was a timber-frame building constructed on a Children of Peace. William and his wife Sarah were active stone foundation. It was an imposing building which members of the Children of Peace. measured 60 by 60 feet and combined elements of Christian Since 2007, my company, This Land Archaeology Inc., and Jewish faiths. “The Children of Peace used the temple has undertaken more than a dozen archaeological 15 times a year—12 times for regular monthly offerings and assessments for DG Group on lands owned by Queensville three times for special high holidays.” (Canada’s Historic Properties Development Corporation. This has involved a Places, 2007). The sect actively supported democratic Stage 1 archaeological assessment of all lands owned by the reforms of the government and some members joined the corporation and Stage 2 assessments of most of their lands Upper Canada Rebellion led by William Lyon Mackenzie. located west of Leslie Street and one parcel located east of They then helped elect Robert Baldwin and Louis this street. LaFontaine who were reformers for the Responsible These assessments discovered five 19th century Government movement in 1837. The Children of Peace farmstead sites, four located on adjacent lots on the west side of Leslie Street (Lots 16 through 19, Concession 2) and xv THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF FIVE QUEENSVILLE FARMSTEADS one adjacent (Lot 17, Concession 3) to these on the east Queensville Site 2 was located east of Leslie Street. Our side. These sites have been called Queensville Site 1, excavations exposed the cellar of the original house and the Queensville Site 2, Queensville Site 3, Queensville Doan, second-generation house with a stone-walled cellar and an and Queensville Milne. Stage 3 test excavations of these attached outbuilding with a stone foundation. In 1871, the sites began in 2008 and the Stage 4 excavations at the property was owned by Peter Crann. Crann had his grain Milne site were completed in the fall of 2017. threshed by Ezra Doan as well, and in turn helped Doan The archaeological investigation of five 19th century thresh his grain. sites in such close proximity to each other by one archaeo - Queensville Site 3 was settled by William H. Willson, a logical consulting firm presented us with a unique cousin of David Willson, founder of the Children of Peace, opportunity to produce a published account of their in 1843. Willson lived on the property until 1870 when he excavation. This included a description of the architectural sold it to Henry Mosier. features preserved in the soil, the artifacts contained in Queensville Doan was purchased from Rueben Burr by them, and the interpretation of the results of our excavations Ebenezer Doan in 1832 at the time of the completion of the to allow a better appreciation of the results of our work in Sharon Temple. Ebenezer sold it to his son, Ira, who lived helping to understand the occupation of Queensville in the there until his death in 1871. Ira farmed the land with his 19th century. son, Ezra, who acquired a 10-acre parcel at the northeast Queensville Site 1 was originally occupied by Rueben corner of the lot. Ezra and his father operated the farm on Burr, one of the master builders of the Sharon Temple. He shares. Our excavations at this site revealed the cellar of the originally built a small house on the property, and later, a first house built on the property and a midden, along with more substantial home with a large stone-walled basement one privy which uncovered large numbers of complete or and a sizable outbuilding attached to the house. It appears almost complete dishes. It was Ezra who kept a diary in that both houses continued to be occupied while Burr lived 1871 which provided us with a glimpse of life in Queensville on the property. I suggested that this was the result of Burr in that year. housing apprentices who worked on the temple under his At Queensville Milne, we discovered the cellar of the first direction and training. Burr sold his property to Dr. Edward house occupied by Rueben Richardson in 1802. Our Morton in 1838. Morton was one of the farmers who had excavations here produced more than 60,000 artifacts grain threshed by Ezra Doan and in return helped Doan featuring a full array of the artifacts in use at this property thresh his grain. in the 19th century. xvi Introduction In summary, the preparation and distribution of this publication is twofold. One, it is intended to provide some value-added to DG Group and Queensville Properties Development Corporation for their due diligence, along with the trust they put in This Land Archaeology Inc. to help uncover and protect Ontario’s fascinating history. All too often the reports on our excavations are filed with the client and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport with no effort to disseminate the results to the members of the local community and the people of the province. As was the case with my book on Patterson Village in the Township of Vaughan, this publication, Volume 2 in the Our Lands Speak series, represents my ongoing efforts to share the fascinating findings of the archaeological assessments of my company to a wider audience. Revisiting the license reports prepared over the past 10 years and re-examining the artifacts from some of the sites including reconstructing some of the artifacts preserved in an undisturbed midden and an unusually rich privy at the Doan site has been a very rewarding experience. William D. Finlayson Midland, Ontario July 2018 xvii.